BACK TO SCHOOL MESSAGE FROM PRINCIPAL SMITH
July 21, 2021
Dear Parents & Guardians of our PHSSA Scholars,
On behalf of the staff at Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts, I am delighted to welcome you to the 2020-2021 school year! It is an honor for me to be part of this community and I could not be more excited about continuing my journey in education here at Patrick Henry. The PHSSA faculty, staff and I are eager and ready to begin this school year! We look forward to working with you and your scholar to make this year a rewarding educational experience. The first day of school for our scholars is Monday, August 2nd. Our school hours are 8:00am-2:40pm.
This year at PHSSA, we are implementing a school-wide positive behavior program. This program will be implemented with the help of Class Dojo. Please be sure to register with our class dojo page at: “Patrick Henry School of Science & Arts.” By doing so, you will receive timely updates regarding your scholar and announcements from the teachers and staff here. All scholars are expected to follow our school-wide rules: Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Safe, Be Kind and to follow all expectations for in-person learning. We encourage our scholars to exhibit positive and appropriate behavior and we will need your help in reinforcing this message at home. Being safe is of the upmost importance this year. At this time, all students are required to wear a face mask throughout the school day and to follow our building and classroom guidelines that support social distancing. Face masks should be solid colored, free of patterns and designs. PHSSA now has touchless hand soap and touchless hand dryers in each bathroom. Our building has also been outfitted with touch free hand sanitizing stations and classroom air scrubbers. PHSSA is now part of the RPS Free Meals program. All students are now eligible to receive free breakfast and lunch!
This school year, we will continue to have Environmental Science & Fine Arts classes. In addition to our core content areas, all scholars will receive instruction in Art, Music, Light Bulb Lab and Fitness to support their growth in all areas. Please encourage your scholars to have 100% participation in these classes.
PHSSA is a uniform school. PHSSA believes that learning is a serious undertaking that should not be distracted from by matters of dress. Scholars are required to wear their uniform every day. The uniform policy is mandatory. There are many positive reasons for our school dress code including:
Attendance and being on time, is very important to us here at PHSSA! Every minute counts in the education of our scholars! We need your help ensuring that your scholars are coming to school each and every day on time! We have much to accomplish and we need them here on time, and ready to learn. Please make every effort to schedule appointments after school and on days off, so that your scholar does not miss valuable learning! As a reminder, please make sure your scholars have up-to-date immunizations and medical documentation. If your family has any questions or concerns please feel free to contact the school.
Patrick Henry will host our annual “Meet and Greet” on Thursday July 29, 2021 from 4:30pm - 6:30pm. During this time, families are welcome to come to the school campus to meet their new teacher and to drop off school supplies. Information regarding your student’s new classroom assignment will be provided during our “Meet and Greet.” Please be prepared to sign the visitors log and to show an official government issued identification card. Also, we will stay true to our Patrick Henry tradition of mailing classroom assignment postcards. Please note, our third-floor renovations are not yet complete. As such, there will be no immediate movement of classrooms to the third-floor level. Teachers and students will remain in their cottage units until further notice. We anticipate development of a revised timeline for the completion of the renovation project to occur in the coming weeks. We will provide periodic updates as we receive them.
This year may look different from those in the past, but the staff and I are looking forward to meeting the challenges that the pandemic has brought us in order to bring you and your student(s) an outstanding educational experience. Our success will be dependent on our ability to come together as a community and commit to the success of every child. Our staff will be focused on:
With these areas in the forefront of everything we do, we hope to make every classroom a place where students feel loved, supported, and successful. The staff and I look forward to working with you in making this a wonderful, educational experience for you and your student!
Sincerely,
Ms. Fatima Smith
Principal
July 21, 2021
Dear Parents & Guardians of our PHSSA Scholars,
On behalf of the staff at Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts, I am delighted to welcome you to the 2020-2021 school year! It is an honor for me to be part of this community and I could not be more excited about continuing my journey in education here at Patrick Henry. The PHSSA faculty, staff and I are eager and ready to begin this school year! We look forward to working with you and your scholar to make this year a rewarding educational experience. The first day of school for our scholars is Monday, August 2nd. Our school hours are 8:00am-2:40pm.
This year at PHSSA, we are implementing a school-wide positive behavior program. This program will be implemented with the help of Class Dojo. Please be sure to register with our class dojo page at: “Patrick Henry School of Science & Arts.” By doing so, you will receive timely updates regarding your scholar and announcements from the teachers and staff here. All scholars are expected to follow our school-wide rules: Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Safe, Be Kind and to follow all expectations for in-person learning. We encourage our scholars to exhibit positive and appropriate behavior and we will need your help in reinforcing this message at home. Being safe is of the upmost importance this year. At this time, all students are required to wear a face mask throughout the school day and to follow our building and classroom guidelines that support social distancing. Face masks should be solid colored, free of patterns and designs. PHSSA now has touchless hand soap and touchless hand dryers in each bathroom. Our building has also been outfitted with touch free hand sanitizing stations and classroom air scrubbers. PHSSA is now part of the RPS Free Meals program. All students are now eligible to receive free breakfast and lunch!
This school year, we will continue to have Environmental Science & Fine Arts classes. In addition to our core content areas, all scholars will receive instruction in Art, Music, Light Bulb Lab and Fitness to support their growth in all areas. Please encourage your scholars to have 100% participation in these classes.
PHSSA is a uniform school. PHSSA believes that learning is a serious undertaking that should not be distracted from by matters of dress. Scholars are required to wear their uniform every day. The uniform policy is mandatory. There are many positive reasons for our school dress code including:
- Dress codes place the focus on learning, not fashion.
- Dress codes create a sense of school pride and belonging.
- Dress codes encourage students to express their individuality through personality and academic achievements as opposed to outward appearances.
- Schools with dress codes have fewer discipline problems, because students are not distracted by other’s clothing.
Attendance and being on time, is very important to us here at PHSSA! Every minute counts in the education of our scholars! We need your help ensuring that your scholars are coming to school each and every day on time! We have much to accomplish and we need them here on time, and ready to learn. Please make every effort to schedule appointments after school and on days off, so that your scholar does not miss valuable learning! As a reminder, please make sure your scholars have up-to-date immunizations and medical documentation. If your family has any questions or concerns please feel free to contact the school.
Patrick Henry will host our annual “Meet and Greet” on Thursday July 29, 2021 from 4:30pm - 6:30pm. During this time, families are welcome to come to the school campus to meet their new teacher and to drop off school supplies. Information regarding your student’s new classroom assignment will be provided during our “Meet and Greet.” Please be prepared to sign the visitors log and to show an official government issued identification card. Also, we will stay true to our Patrick Henry tradition of mailing classroom assignment postcards. Please note, our third-floor renovations are not yet complete. As such, there will be no immediate movement of classrooms to the third-floor level. Teachers and students will remain in their cottage units until further notice. We anticipate development of a revised timeline for the completion of the renovation project to occur in the coming weeks. We will provide periodic updates as we receive them.
This year may look different from those in the past, but the staff and I are looking forward to meeting the challenges that the pandemic has brought us in order to bring you and your student(s) an outstanding educational experience. Our success will be dependent on our ability to come together as a community and commit to the success of every child. Our staff will be focused on:
- RELATIONSHIPS
- COMMUNICATION
- INTEGRATED INSTRUCTION and PROJECT BASED LEARNING
- ACADEMIC SUCCESS FOR ALL SCHOLARS
- DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION
With these areas in the forefront of everything we do, we hope to make every classroom a place where students feel loved, supported, and successful. The staff and I look forward to working with you in making this a wonderful, educational experience for you and your student!
Sincerely,
Ms. Fatima Smith
Principal